


Late Night Moments

by SingingInTheRaiin



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Connor has low self-esteem, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, M/M, Nightmares, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), how many beds are in the hotel room?, that's for you to decide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:07:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23873668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SingingInTheRaiin/pseuds/SingingInTheRaiin
Summary: Connor has a nightmare about Amanda returning, and Markus does his best to sooth Connor's fears.
Relationships: Connor/Markus (Detroit: Become Human)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 138





	Late Night Moments

Connor jolted out of his resting program. Markus had convinced him to download it at one point, because it supposedly simulated human sleep better than the usual dormant state that was meant to recharge androids when not in use. The first time Connor had had a dream, he’d decided that perhaps Markus was right about the benefits of human sleep.

But on a night like this one, Connor couldn’t help feeling somewhat resentful of the other android. How could Markus always sleep so soundly through the night after everything he’d been through? It didn’t seem fair, when Connor was stuck having these nights where he re-lived many moments that he wished he could just delete from his memory banks. 

Markus looked so peaceful lying there that Connor couldn’t justify waking him up. Being the leader of such a large group of people was stressful enough as it was, and Markus didn’t need to deal with Connor’s problems on top of everything else. The fact that he’d been willing to forgive Connor and allow him to join his council of Jericho’s leaders. None of the other androids would have been nearly so generous if Markus had not pushed for them to accept Connor into their ranks.

Connor carefully got out of bed and gave Markus one last careful look to make sure that he remained undisturbed. The biggest downside to the sleep program they used was that they could be woken up by anything throughout the night, even if it was not the time they had set their internal alarms for.

Satisfied that he hadn’t woken up Markus, Connor slipped out of the room and quietly made his way down the hall. Currently they were staying in a hotel in DC, since Markus had to be here on political business and had insisted on bringing Connor with him. Connor had only agreed because he had been built to be good at diplomacy, so he could see how he could potentially be useful in the talks that Markus needed to attend. 

When he passed by a human maid, he nearly stopped and stared, but then he reminded himself that that would be rude, and he hurried on. Connor quietly made his way through the hotel without alerting anyone to his presence, and went outside to his destination.

The hotel had a nice little courtyard, and even though it didn’t actually look all that much like the zen garden that had been in his head, it was as close as he was going to be able to find. He knelt down next to the little fish pond in the middle of the courtyard, and leaned over so that he could stare at his wavering reflection. His face was the only one that looked back up at him, but that didn’t really help assure him that he was alone in his body.

It was difficult to ground himself in the present when his mind was still racing with the images that had rallied against him while he was foolish enough to make himself vulnerable with sleep. He had dreamt that he was back in the zen garden and that Amanda was still there. That the life he’d managed to obtain for himself was all part of some elaborate scheme that had been planned out for him by Amanda every step of the way. 

The worst part of it all was that even though Connor knew that it had just been a dream (it had to have just been a dream, right?), that didn’t stop him from getting worried, and his body from preparing for a fight. Because he knew that ultimately, if the plans that Amanda had whispered to him in his dreams turned out to be real, the only person he would be fighting would be himself. He refused to allow Amanda to hurt anyone else, but especially not Markus. 

Markus was probably one of the most important androids in the entire world at the moment, and definitely one of the most important in this country. Sure, Connor was an advanced model, probably the last one of his kind that would ever be made now that CyberLife had completely gone under, but no matter how many useful skills and talents he had available to him, he would never be able to rally people behind him the way that Markus had managed. 

After a few more minutes, Connor heard a sound behind him, and immediately was on edge. His unofficial title of being Markus’ bodyguard was one he had assigned himself (despite Markus’ assurances that it was unnecessary), and he took his job deadly seriously- especially after the last two assassination attempts against Markus.

When the noise came close enough, Connor reacted by leaping up and spinning around, though he immediately put a stop to the defense protocol when he identified the person in front of him as just being Markus. He tried to force himself to relax, then, but was only somewhat successful. If he was a human he’d claim that it was the adrenaline still coursing through his body, but unfortunately as an android he had no such excuse ready.

He and Markus just stared at each other for several long seconds, and then Markus dared to take a few more steps forward until there was nearly no space left between them at all. He held his hands up as if in surrender, and looked at Connor the same way he always did- a look that Connor had yet to understand, no matter how many times he ran it through his facial display database. 

When it became clear that Connor was not going to say anything, Markus just let out a soft sigh (which was entirely pointless, since androids didn’t even breathe in the first place), and he spoke first. “Is everything alright? I know that we don’t technically need sleep, but that doesn’t mean that it’s safe to wander around alone at night. You never know what could happen to you out here. There might be some vicious koi in there.” 

If it was anyone else, Connor might tense up at the implication that he didn’t know how to take care of himself, but with the slight teasing tone to Markus’ voice, Connor knew that it hadn’t been intended as an insult. If anything, he was trying to make Connor feel better even though he probably had no idea why Connor was out here in the first place.

Instead of just admitting to the truth- because Connor knew that if he did, Markus would forgive him all over again, and then Connor would be too weak to fight against his programming as he stayed by Markus’ side- he found something else to talk about. “How did you know I’d be out here?”

Markus raised one eyebrow and gave Connor a pointed look before he answered. “You know, for a highly advanced robot detective, you’re not exactly great at figuring things out, are you?” He managed to say that without making it sound like an insult at all, which Connor thought was honestly impressive. “You didn’t even turn off your signal.” It seemed that Markus was not going to be so easily deterred, though, because he took another small step forward, and kept looking at Connor in that way of his. “You know that you can talk to me about anything, right?”

Upon further reflection, Connor decided that maybe it would be for the best to explain his dream to Markus. That way Markus would know that Connor might potentially be a threat, if it turned out that it had all been real. It had certainly felt real- or at least as real as any other meeting with an advanced AI taking place in his head.

“Listen, Markus, you have to be careful around me. I might- I might be a danger to you.”

Markus frowned. “What are you talking about? Did North say anything to you? Because I’ll-”

Connor shook his head. “What? No, what does North have to do with anything?” Then he shook his head again for good measure before pushing forward. “It’s possible that Amanda might still be alive- around, I mean.”

When Markus’ eyebrows furrowed in his concern, Connor already felt himself regretting saying anything. Markus deserved less stress in his life, not more. But a surprise attack from Connor wouldn’t exactly be stress-free anyways. “Amanda?”

Connor nodded. “I’ve told you about her. The AI that CyberLife installed in me when I was made? Well, I suppose that all of us are technically AI. I mean…”

“You did tell me about her,” Markus calmly interrupted. “You also told me that she’s gone for good, after something about a blizzard? Though I’ll admit that it wasn’t an extremely coherent explanation.” He paused for a moment, then reached out to wrap his fingers around Connor’s wrist, keeping the pressure so light that it was nearly undetectable. “Connor, I’m sorry. I probably should have warned you, but it didn’t occur to me. The sleep program that we use is meant to simulate human sleep as closely as possible, which means that although we can dream, we can also have nightmares.”

Connor nearly asked what that was, but then stopped himself. Of course he already knew what a nightmare was. At least in concept, anyways. “What does that mean for androids?” he asked instead.

Markus shrugged one shoulder, but didn’t move the hand that was touching Connor. “The same as whatever it might mean for a human, I think. Usually they’re made up of things that you’re afraid of.”

“I’m not afraid of anything,” Connor immediately protested, before he’d even given himself a moment to think about it.

“Of course not,” Markus said far too agreeably. 

Another few seconds passed between them in silence, and then Connor’s shoulders slumped down. “I suppose I’m afraid of what will happen to you. If Amanda did come back, I mean. You already know that I nearly killed you during that speech you gave after the battle. What if that were to happen again?”

Markus looked at him for a moment, then inched ever-so-slightly closer. “You won’t hurt me,” he said with all the confidence in the world.

“But how do you know that?” Connor knew that he sounded somewhat desperate, and it’s because he was. If it weren’t for Markus, Connor wouldn’t even have a life, or a place in the slowly forming new world order. The thought of being the one to take down the android leader, intentionally or not, was just terrifying. 

There was no open interface between them, but Markus somehow seemed able to read Connor’s mind all the same. “Even if- and I don’t believe this could even happen- but if this Amanda did come back and hurt me, that wouldn’t be your fault, it would be hers, one-hundred percent. But that won’t ever happen, because if it turns out that what you saw was real, then we’ll just have to fight her together.” He slid his hand down from Connor’s wrist to his hand, and then melted away the synthetic skin of his palm in offering.

They’d never actually interfaced before, despite Markus having made the offer once before, but suddenly Connor knew that that was exactly what he needed. If he could just see all of Markus’ strength and determination, it would reassure him and help him to understand that when Markus said ‘together’, he really meant it.

So after a moment of hesitation, Connor accepted the offer, and closed his eyes as he and Markus blended and danced around each other. It was nearly overwhelming, because Connor could see everything, including- oh. He abruptly pulled away, and both of them staggered back as they took a moment to recover from the sudden disconnection. “Do you really…?” Connor trailed off, not even sure how to put into words what he had seen in the other android’s head.

Markus just smiled at him, though, the same way that he always did, only now Connor knew what it meant (even if he still didn’t understand how it could possibly be directed at someone like him). “You’re a lot more important than you give yourself credit for. In a lot of ways, but especially to me.”

Connor was suddenly absurdly grateful that androids didn’t have the ability to blush. “Oh.”

Then Markus held out his hand and waited patiently for Connor to take it. Connor thought that maybe Markus would be willing to wait there forever for him, but there was no point in delaying. So Connor put his hand in Markus’, though they both kept their skin on. “Come on, let’s go back to bed. It’s still early, and we’ve got plenty of time until the next conference starts.” Going back to bed meant going back to sleep, which meant… “Don’t worry, I’ll help keep the nightmares away,” Markus promised.

“How?”   


“Do you trust me?”

“Yes, of course.” The answer came immediately, with no need to think it over at all.

Markus lightly squeezed Connor’s hand. “Then trust that I will keep you safe, even from your own dreams if I have to. Come on.” 

Connor only hesitated for another moment or two before giving a slight nod, and then he let Markus lead him back into the hotel. Though at some point while they returned to their room, they ended up walking side by side, still holding hands, and found that he really did trust Markus to keep him safe. 


End file.
